Men Hold Moscow Audience Hostage [Reports of 1000 Hostages]

AP News ^ | OCTOBER 23, 14:03 ET

[McGruff]

MOSCOW (AP) — Armed men entered a Moscow theater Wednesday and took the audience hostage, the Federal Security Service said.

The theater was holding a performance of the musical Nord-Ost, one of the Russian capital's most popular productions.

The Interfax news agency said one of its reporters was inside the theater at the time of the raid. She told them in a telephone call that the men had fired into the air and were preventing the audience from leaving, the agency said.

Police units were on their way to the scene.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Updates:Russian Gunmen Plant Bombs in Crowded Moscow Theater
Voice of America - 2 hours ago
Russian gunmen who stormed a Moscow theater and took hostage an audience
of about 700 people are reportedly planting bombs in the building. ...
       Russian Theater Audience Held Hostage - WPVI
       Chechen terrorists take 700 hostage in Moscow - Economic Times
       Gunmen Take Moscow Audience Hostage - Guardian
       San Diego Union Tribune

Russian tanks surround besieged theatre
ABC Online, Australia - 54 minutes ago
Russian troops and tanks have surrounded a packed theatre hall in Moscow,
where suspected Chechen rebels are holding hundreds of people hostage. ...
       Rebel leader's notorious family - BBC
       Chechen rebel website claims hostage-taking - Times of India
       Russia: Armed Men Seize Moscow Theater - Radio Free Europe

[Aquinasfan]

Yeah the FNC update barely acknowledged that they were Chechens and that "they wanted an end to the war in Chechnya."

The misreporting and lack of coverage is sickening.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I explained that to the Russians I met. My refrain was: "how are you going to ever get your hands on the $10 billion if the UN continues leveling sanctions against Iraq? Your only hope is for saddam to be deposed, for only then will Iraq be in the financial condition (assuming the UN sanctions are lifted) to pay it's obligations."

We should give Putin a check for $10B. After Iraq is conquered, sell $10B (+ interest and recovery cost) worth of Iraqi oil and reimburse the US taxpayers.

[ET(end tyranny)]

Russia has been with us on the war on terrorism since 9/11. Iraq is not part of that war.

Thank You! So many do not seem to understand this!!

[PoisedWoman]

Thanks for good links. I read the most recent UPI release, which said in part:

"The terrorists released several dozen children and told Muslims and natives of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in the audience that they were free to leave the theater.

A woman released by the gunmen said the terrorists were beating some of the hostages.

"The passages are full of blood," the unidentified woman told the NTV television network. A French diplomat released by the terrorists said the terrorists, particularly the women among the group, were "very aggressive."

[Smogger]

OK. Here is what I have been able to gleen so far. An official called Deputy Aslakhanov entered the building more than an hour ago (see my other posts). According to this latest article from Lenta he was unable to meet with the terrorists in order to negotiate.

Hmmm.. I am becoming good at deciphering the babelfish translations. God help me.

It is renovated by 24.10.2002 into 02:15:48
Version for the press/printing

Terrorists did not want to speak with Aslanbekom In the aslakhanovym

The deputy of the state Duma Aslanbek Of aslakhanov was handled call to the Chechens, who took the building of theatrical center "northeast".Let us recall that, according to approximate data, in the building they are located not less than 700 people.

As reported television channel NTV, Aslakhanov it called terrorists to change the mind.According to the data of television channel, he did not succeed in meeting with the representatives of terrorists; however, deputy considered it necessary to turn to them through the journalists.

Aslakhanov by the first of the deputies it arrived in the place of incident.He succeeded in passing into the building, where it was located for the hour.However, terrorists did not want to be met with the deputy.

According to the data OF RIA of "news", negotiations with the terrorists conduct the specialist- negotiators from the operational staff.Agency does not report, did know how negotiators to enter into the building or the negotiations they are conducted according to the telephone.

[swarthyguy]

Not the lead story on any network news.

On the plus side, some acknowledgement of a sniper team.

[GovernmentShrinker]

How do you negotiate with Muslim widows who have explosives strapped to their bodies? They have nothing to live for.

[Wordsmith]

The Chechen hostage crisis is still the lead story on msnbc.com, so some kudos to them.

[Michael2001]

CNN just said that about 20 children were released. No mention of any Muslims. Were muslims really released or is this information being suppressed?

Everybody but CNN is reporting that Muslims were released, as did an earlier CNN version. The newer online CNN version doesn't even have the word "Muslim" in it. They must think we're stupid.

[SerpentDove]

>>It's kind of ridiculous that 99% of the information I've been able to get on this story has been from this thread. To the rest of the news services - I guess it's a 'non-story'.<<

Hear, hear. I have been glued to FR since this story (IMHO the biggest event in the world right now) broke on FR this afternoon.

But then I'm ALWAYS glued to FR; this time even more.

[PoisedWoman]

See my post $765 for further info on women terrorists.

[JohnathanRGalt]

I wonder how long it will take Russia to come around to our side of the War on Terrorism

I am not going to hold my breath waiting that is for sure. Look at the French. They had an oil tanker rammed by terrorists, they know it is terrorists yet they still have not switched to our sides. I imagine Russia will come over sooner then Franch though.

They came over in Sept. 1999 -- when a series of apartment bombings by Islamists killed a lot of innocents.

[txhurl]

ET, we're so entrenched here that if we were to step outside to, say, Brazil, and look at the news: Terrorists holding US Capitol area hostage, killing citizens and Terrorists holding hundreds hostage at Russian Capitol...

I bet this hasn't happened since you or I have been alive..

[Eala]

The misreporting and lack of coverage is sickening.

It's been going on for a long, long time. But now we have a way to actually see it happening, thanks to FR. Small wonder the status of the press is down somewhere around that of used car salesmen.

[annalex]

"Caucus decent"

They mean the Caucasian Mountains. The facial type is dark (not black) skin, big nose, jet-black hair, what in this country is colloquially identified as Middle Eastern type. Nothing to do with Caucasian race designation in America. Ethnic Russians are light skinned and frequently blond-haired, not unlike Germans.

[gcruse]

Russian Gunmen Plant Bombs in Crowded Moscow Theater

  For those just joining us...

[PoisedWoman]

terrorists did not want to be met with the deputy.

Very bad news. They just want to blow themselves and hostages to kingdom come. I wonder whether the woman terrorists are promised 82 beachboys in the Koran for killing infidels.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Should have left them in Siberia.

Freaking Moorlocks.

[SerpentDove]

Thanks! Now what's a "fifth column"?

Anybody? (I'm serious; I hear it all the time and I'm tired of not knowing what it is!)

:-D